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President Donald Trump’s announcement that he won’t sign any new bills until the Senate passes voter ID legislation threatens to set back his legislative and confirmation agenda for the newest addition to his Cabinet.
Trump wants Senate Republicans to implement the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act in the upper chamber with a filibuster talking, even at the expense of the Senate’s most important asset: floor time.
“It has to be done quickly. It takes precedence over everything else. It has to be at the front of the line. I, as President, will not sign any more Bills until this is passed,” said Trump on Truth Social.
SCHUMER ONCE BLOCKED TRUMP’S MOVE TO FILL THE NATION’S OIL FACILITIES, NOW WANTS THEM OPEN
President Donald Trump attends the Shield of the Americas Summit on March 7, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
But that comes as the Senate fights to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has entered its fourth week of shutdown. A White House official told Fox News Digital that Trump was “referring to other bills, not DHS funding.”
“If the Democrats do the right thing and pass DHS funding, the president will defund the agency,” the official said.
Trump’s announcement and forcing the Senate to resort to a filibuster has increased pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., who has vowed to vote on the bill, but has not guaranteed it will pass.
When asked about the growing campaign from Trump and social media to use the talking filibuster, Thune said, “A lot of that, it’s kind of, you know, a paid ecosystem.”
“But there is a lot of support for it,” said Thune. “As I said, we are, I think, mostly, not everyone, but there is a lot of strong support among Republican senators for the policy. But the process and how you ultimately try to get the result is not clear to me.”
SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD TRUTH IN DHS NEGOTIATION DESPITE PASSING NOEM’S BILL
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., said Democrats are continuing their campaign to keep DHS closed because it’s “politically expedient.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Republicans are also working to advance a major affordable housing package supported by Trump, to consider a package of additional spending to reissue weapons for conflict with Iran, and to continue the confirmation process of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is the president’s latest pick to lead DHS.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that the GOP’s top priority right now is funding DHS.
“The Democrats have blocked that right now,” Barrasso told Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “And the greatest threat to the American people today is terrorism.”
And while the SAVE America Act has the support of a majority of Senate Republicans, it is not an easy bill to pass in the upper chamber, given the tough stance that Senate Democrats have taken.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., reiterated that the bill is “Jim Crow 2.0. It will displace tens of millions of people.”
“If Trump says he won’t sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed, so be it: there will be a total deadlock in the Senate,” Schumer told X. “Senate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances.”
THUNE CONFIRMS VOTER ID BILL SENATE DESPITE SCHUMER, DEM OBJECTION: ‘WE WILL HAVE A VOTE’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Turning to a filibuster is impossible, and, because of the great fear among Republicans it will dominate the floor time for hundreds of hours of debate. But the other thing is that there will be no unity among the Republicans to kill the amendments put forward by the Senate Democrats.
Another mystery is which version of the SAVE America Act Trump wants.
House Republicans advanced the SAVE America Act last month, which would require voter ID to vote, proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, authorize states to verify and remove non-citizens from voter rolls, expand information sharing with federal agencies, including DHS, to verify citizenship and create new criminal penalties for registering non-citizens to vote.
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But Trump asked Republicans to “GO GOLD” with a bill to show voter ID and proof of citizenship, nix mail-in votes except for members of the military or people who are sick, disabled or have mobility issues, no men in women’s sports and “NO TRANSGENDER [MUTILATION] CHILDREN!”
That version of the bill will again have to pass the House before going to the Senate. Whether it can survive any room is an open question. Thune acknowledged that Trump wants a modified version of the bill, but maintained that a filibuster, or breaching the current filibuster, is unlikely to happen.
“The thing I have always said is, and I have told him and others that I will not guarantee the result. I will not guarantee the result,” said Thune. “If the only outcome is to filibuster the law, we don’t have the votes to do that. So that’s not a realistic option. And I’ve made that clear to anyone who’s asked me.”
